


Nitoryu

by namedisplay



Category: One Piece
Genre: Enemy Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, New World (One Piece), Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22526833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/namedisplay/pseuds/namedisplay
Summary: Leaving Wano is considered a crime. But being a criminal wasn't so bad if he was by her side.
Relationships: Mugiwara Kaizoku | Strawhat Pirates & Trafalgar D. Water Law, Mugiwara Kaizoku | Strawhat Pirates/Original Character(s), Roronoa Zoro/Original Character(s), Roronoa Zoro/Original Female Character(s), Zoro/OC, ZoroxOC
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. Quick Statement

**_One Piece_** (: ワンピース : _Wan Pīsu_ ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, therefore, I do not own the main plot of this story. The only thing I own are my OC's and the side stories.

Please keep in mind that this is **not** a spoiler-free fanfiction. If you do not read the manga or did not watch the arcs that I will be mentioning then I advise you not to read unless you want to get spoiled. 

This fanfiction will include the following arcs: 

**\- Punk Hazard**

**\- Dressrosa**

**\- Zou**

**\- Wano**

As for the story, it starts after Fishman Island, so basically before Punk Hazard. 

Enjoy and don't forget to leave your opinion in the comments.


	2. Chapter 1

There was something different about her, at least that's what his senses were telling him. Maybe it was the way she confidently walked around the bar, having two swords at her waist, ready to slice up anyone who dares to bother her, or maybe it was just the fact that everyone seemed to avoid making eye contact with her, almost like they feared for their lives.

This sparked some interest in Zoro - which was something not many were able to do just by simply walking inside a bar - but just as said, she seemed different.

She didn't seem to be bothered by the discreet glances or whispers, in fact, she seemed to enjoy every second of it. It was like she owned the place.

But that did not intimidate Zoro. A girl, who was most likely inferior to his strength, was not going to make Zoro flinch.

The girl took a quick look around the room. She was looking for something, or more likely, she was looking for someone. Zoro looked back at his drink, not because of her but because he was out the booze. Again...

The Strawhats had quite a rough night, dealing with storms and monsters alike, leaving them no time whatsoever to sleep or relax. Once they reached the island, they were more than happy to spend some time on their own, doing whatever they wanted.

Zoro, like always, took off on his own, luckily this time, he ended up to the nearest bar. He ordered some booze as always and slowly started to relax, forgetting all about the trouble from a night ago.

But that's when, a woman, who seemed to be around his age, or maybe even a year or two younger, entered the bar, with the most interesting aura Zoro had encountered from a fellow swordsman. She wasn't from here, that was for sure.

The girl wore a beautiful turquoise kimono, which had some kind of flower pattern on it; her straight black hair reached down to the lower half of her back, making her seem almost like a lifelike doll. She had porcelain-like skin, making her look like she could crumble at just a small touch.

The only part that almost seemed out of character was her two swords which were carefully being held by her _obijime_ * and _otaiko_ *.

If Zoro wouldn't know any better, he would say that this girl could be a samurai. Well, that was the most likely option.

Either way, the interest in her slowly faded as she sat down in front of the bartender, hiding away a small smile on her face.

But Zoro couldn't help but stare at her for a moment. If that love cook was here, he'd immediately tell him that he was stalking the 'poor lovely girl' and that he had impure thoughts; something that was absurd and that would only make the pervert a bigger hypocrite.

He watched as she ordered something to drink, nothing suspicious considering this was a bar. But then, things got interesting as a group of 'tough' looking guys stood up and walked towards her.

The girl didn't seem to give any sort of reaction as the guys cornered her in her seat. They smirked at her, one of them even placing his hand on her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. The other people inside the bar seemed to also give their full attention to what was going on.

But no one dared to move a muscle. Some flinched and some pretty much left the bar, as they all seemed to know what was going to happen next.

To Zoro's surprise, the girl didn't do anything. She continued to drink, as she slowly looked up at her aggressor. She raised a brow as she finally noticed the man's arm on her.

She proceeded to smile at him and then, all of a sudden, the man, along with his crew were all bleeding to death on the ground. If it wasn't for his Observation Haki, Zoro could almost swear she didn't even do anything to those guys.

Her speed was remarkable, nothing he had seen before, but nothing he couldn't beat in a heartbeat. She seemed like a worthy opponent, but then again, she only took down trash so there wasn't anything he could make an impression out of.

Instead of sitting back down, she turned around and looked at Zoro directly in the eye. She furrowed her eyes at him and walked closer to his table.

Zoro gulped and poured more booze in his stein, but not breaking the eye contact.

"Oi, swordsman, I've seen you use Haki. You're no ordinary fella, are you?" She asked with a small smirk forming on her face. Zoro didn't respond. Once he filled his stein with booze again, he began to drink once more, trying to ignore her annoying presence.

She pouted at him and looked at his swords which were leaning across the table. Her eyes immediately landed on the most treasured sword he had, the Shusui.

Her eyes darkened, a shadow now covered half of her face. Her hands twitched a little as they fell at her sides.

"Oi... Where the hell did you get your hands on that sword." She said darkly. Now, that's what caught Zoro's interest once more. She seemed to recognize the sword, which was no surprise, but still, it showed the fact that she knew her stuff. But her tone, it was demanding, unlike he had encountered before, she seemed ready to slice him up for that bit of information.

After all, the sword was legendary, along with the samurai who used to wield it.

"I didn't steal it if that's your assumption." He replied, not even bothering to look at her. She gritted her teeth and slowly her hands were making their way to one of her swords.

"That sword... Do you even know what sword that is? There's no way you didn't steal that." She said as her hand was on her sword's grip. Zoro didn't feel any less intimidated by her threatening look. He rested his head in his hand and slowly smirked at her.

"I didn't steal it. That's the truth. But either way, you won't believe me so there's no point in telling you why I have it. Well, it's none of your business, to begin with." He said mockingly, making her frown.

"My, aren't you a big talk. Very well, don't tell me, Roronoa Zoro." Hearing his name out of her mouth made him raise a brow at her. So she did know him after all. He wasn't surprised by it, he was a pirate after all, but he thought that maybe she didn't have an idea of who he is.

But knowing that she knew about who he is made him question her choice of words even more. She knew about him but she still thought she was better than him. _How cute._

"But you probably know by now that, - that sword -" she pointed at it, "It's a national treasure of the Wano Country."

Her words only confirmed his suspicion on whether or not she was a samurai. He was right all along.

"So you're from Wano, huh?" Zoro said as he finished his booze. "Which means you're most likely a samurai, right?" The girl clenched her fist and didn't try to look up. "That's none of your business." She hissed at him.

"Don't worry, unlike others, I don't give a crap about other people's business." He said as he stood up, not before he grabbed his swords much to the girl's disappointment.

"Well, then, see you around." Zoro said as he left the bar, leaving the girl almost shocked at his actions.

What Zoro didn't know at that moment, was that their meeting wasn't a simple coincidence and that their fate, from that moment on, was tightly tied together. 

×

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can also find this story on my Wattpad account under the username the_pink_disaster .


	3. Chapter 2

Suzume has never been more insulted than this in her entire life.

The moss haired swordsman left the bar with absolutely no remorse. Their conversation wasn't anywhere near finished! This is why she hated pirates so much. They all thought they were so great until someone finally kills them.

She didn't bother to go after him, however. She left the bar minutes after he did and started to make her way back to the inn. She knew that they were to meet again. After all, this was a small island and the log pose will take quite a while until it sets its next course.

Roronoa Zoro... She heard things about him. She may be from Wano but even she heard rumors about 'The Worst Generation'. Eleven Supernovas in total, with Eustass Kid at the top of the list, Roronoa Zoro was also one of the rookies who ended up with a bounty exceeding one hundred million berries.

He was part of the Straw Hat Pirates, with the role of vice-captain no less. She recently heard rumors about their comeback but didn't bother to look into it, not that she cared. But it seemed that the rumors of them being in Fishman Island were no rumors after all.

They were back.

The stories about them were almost unbelievable. She never heard more idiotic adventures in her entire life. The captain was described as the future most wanted man on earth, rumors saying that he now possesses the Conqueror's Haki. Monkey D. Luffy was no ordinary fella, that was for sure.

But she had to admit, she respected a man like him. After all, he punched a Celestial Dragon for God's sake, he stood up against the World Government and much, much more. This wasn't the ordinary type of pirate you would usually meet. He was one of a kind.

But he was a pirate.

As she passed the nearest shop, she took a few deep breaths. It was time to clear her head from all the nonsense that filled her mind with unnecessary thoughts. She was a samurai after all. She had to get a grip!

Her right hand ran through her silk-like hair, flowing perfectly on her back.

It was a beautiful day in the New World. The sun greeted her early in the morning, with a perfect temperature and with perfectly timed clouds when needed. It was quite relaxing... Until she saw that green-haired bastard.

It wasn't exactly the pirate that pissed her off; more exactly, it was the sword he was in the possession of. It reminded her of the responsibility she had on her shoulder. It reminded her of home.

She couldn't care less for a rookie who just entered the New World.

He, whether he was aware of it or not, has in his grasp a national treasure, something that should be in the Wano Country and not at the waist a mere pirate.

Nevertheless, her new objective has been decided the minute she saw that sword. She now had to challenge the swordsman and to win the duel to get the sword back.

Finally, arriving at the end of the street, as she was about to take the right corner, her eyes couldn't believe the person who was walking in her direction.

It was that Roronoa again...

Her heartbeat began to rise. Is he up for a fight or something? This was going to be easier than she thought. Her hands went directly to her swords as she took small steps.

Zoro walked casually on the street, with his hands in his pockets, whistling and not caring about anything that was happening around him.

Suzume was taken aback by his carefree attitude he was now showing. The thing that made her stop in her tracks was when he just walked past her, ignoring her completely.

 _'Did... Did he forget about me that easily?!'_ Her eyes twitched as she began to scream inside her head. This was unbelievable! She was now more than happy to slice him up!

She took out her sword, ready to attack Zoro but when she turned around, he wasn't there anymore. Completely disappointed, she placed her swords back in their scabbard and continued walking towards the inn.

This island was beginning to get way too annoying, even for her. After all, she still didn't get her hands on any new information about that bastard.

It didn't take long until she was finally out of that lawless street and back to the populated side of the island.

The island's name was Westeria. Nothing special about it other than the fact that the Log Poses weren't able to point towards it unless you had its Eternal Pose on you.

That was the very reason why the Navy didn't bother with this island. Most pirates only come here in case of the need for emergency supplies.

And that's exactly why Suzume is on this island, in particular. She thought that she might be able to get some information on the man she was after, being such a 'pirate-free' island. But, to her luck, she couldn't get a single drop of information from anyone.

Walking down the busy streets, she couldn't help but get drawn in her thoughts. Everything was just a big mess, and she somehow got in the middle of it all.

She closed her eyes for a second, letting out a big sigh. Massaging her forehead she began to review every single piece of information she had.

Not paying attention to her surroundings, someone accidentally bumped into her, making both of them fall on the ground.

Rubbing her sore spot as she straightens up, she slowly opened her eyes to see who was on the ground next to her.

Her breath hitched immediately as her eyes landed on the same green hair from before. With her eyes beginning to twitch, she immediately stood up and placed her hand on one of her sword's grip.

Zoro, was still on the ground, rubbing his head. He opened his eyes and followed the girl's figure up to her face. He raised one of his brows seeing her in a fighting position but stood up anyway.

"Ah, you're that samurai from before. Are you following me or something?" He asked as he looked at her square in the eyes.

Her mind went numb at his words. Was he actually serious? Because it looked like he was...

"F-Follow?" Her voice stuttered as she was too stunned at his question. He can't be serious!

"Yeah, that's what I asked." He replied as he placed his hands in his pockets. She blinked a couple of times before she completely snapped.

"You can't be serious right now! You are the one who kept passing by me countless times! What are you, lost or something?!" She yelled at him as her patience with him was thrown out the window.

"L-Lost?" His eyes twitched at that word.

"Where are you even trying to go?" Suzume sighed as she questionably held her hand. "The docks." Zoro replied. Suzume paused. He... was definitely lost.

"The d-docks are in that way..." She stuttered as she pointed behind him. She was amazed by his level of stupidity. How could you get lost on an island like this?

Zoro let out a small gasp in dismay and proceeded to walk in the right direction.

Suzume couldn't help but wonder how he survived this long because it seemed like it wasn't the first time he got lost. She decided to shrug that off and get over it.

But then, the most unexpected thing happened when the moss hair came out of an alley, not so far away, walking away, once again, in the opposite direction.

Her jaw dropped as she watched the idiot run past her, with a confident look on his face.

×

In the end, Suzume decided to help the idiot, after realizing that giving him directions was only going to make things worse.

Although he was against it at first, she, by now, was done with his stupidity. After all, how could you be so bad at directions?! Especially when the person tells you to go straight! Even a baby can do that!

The walk back to the docks was silent, as none of them bothered to say a word. That is until Zoro decided to speak up.

"So you're a samurai, right?" He asked, earning a nod from the girl walking beside him. "Why did you left your country? I mean, usually they don't leave their country, right?"

The girl didn't reply right away; she didn't even bother to look up at him. But when she did, she gave him a small smile. "That's none of your business." She replied.

When they finally arrived at the docks, Suzume was surprised to see how big the Straw Hat's ship was. She began to wonder how it would look on the deck and inside, but then she quickly remembered that they were all pirates and that she shouldn't make any kind of relationship with them.

"Ow! Zoro came back!" A voice announced. Suzume looked up and was almost taken aback by the robot looking person that was leaning across the railing. "Ah, and he has a SUPER hot girl next to him." The robot said when he noticed her.

A yell was next heard. A blonde guy came running, almost falling off the railing just to get a closer look at her.

"Ahh, Franky, you're right!" The blonde said as his eyes turned into hearts as he was checking her out. Suzume was almost creeped out by the stares she received after the cyborg announced her presence.

Either way, it was not like she would show any fear to these pirates.

"Honestly." Zoro said under his breath with an annoyed tone.

So these were the infamous Straw Hats that she heard so many stories about. So far she hoped that the crew wasn't all filled with perverts and idiots.

"Oi, Marimo!" The blonde's tone changed into a harsh one as he yelled after the moss hair. "Who's the beauty?" His tone changed again once meeting her eyes.

"Who are you calling Marimo, you love-cook!" Zoro yelled annoyed.

So the blonde pervert was the cook. Interesting...

But then Zoro furrowed his brows and turned towards her, once he let the cook's question sink in.

"Come to think of it, who are you, really?" He asked her. She was surprised at his question for a second, but then she remembered she never got the chance to introduce herself.

She looked at him with an amused look. "You're quite at a disadvantage, aren't you, Roronoa? After all, I know so much about you and you so little about me..." She said as she crossed her arms.

Zoro didn't reply.

"Well, I guess the least I can do is to tell you my name... It's Suzume. Nice to meet you."

And with that, a new chapter of her life began.

×

Suzume ( _雀_ ) = sparrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can also find this story on my Wattpad account under the username the_pink_disaster .


	4. Chapter 3

Suzume had no idea how she ended up having dinner with these pirates.

All she could remember was the intense and determined look from the cook, who she later learned that his name was Sanji, and his repetitive dinner invites.

And here she was, sitting at a table inside the kitchen, along with the ship's vice admiral and the shipwright, all of them drinking whatever they had in their bottles, as they all waited for the cook to finish the dinner.

It seemed that the rest of the crew was still out. Apparently, the captain went to explore the island while the others went to gather supplies.

The ship, she had to admit, was very unique, but in a good way. Franky, if she remembered the name correctly, was the one who built and designed this ship. He told her about his dream and the reason why he was part of the crew.

It amazed her how much trust the entire crew had in their captain, as they all solemnly believed that he was the man who's going to become the Pirate King.

"Well, it's my first time stepping on a pirate ship, but I have to say, it's nothing like other ships I've seen before." The girl said as she rested her head on her hand.

"Well, that's SUPER nice of you to say that. But you haven't been on a pirate ship before? I could've sworn that you are one since you look SUPER strong." Franky said as he raised one of his brows.

Suzume giggled a little. "Ahh, thanks. But I'm no pirate. I'm a samurai from the Wano Kingdom."

"Hmm?" Franky raised one of his brows. "A samurai?" He asked rhetorically. Suzume continued to smile. Even though they were pirates, they weren't that bad.

"Suzume-chwan is really strong, isn't she?" Sanji began to dance around, having heart eyes again. By now, Suzume understood why Zoro called the guy a love-cook.

Suzume resumed looking back at Zoro, who seemed to not even bother to listen to what Franky had to say to her. The only time he actually listened to was when she discussed things about herself.

She secretly would eye the sword that he had next to him. That sword was a grim reminder of why she left Wano.

"You still want this sword, huh?" Zoro smirked as he caught her staring at the Shusui. Suzume gulped but didn't reply right away. He had no idea what that sword meant for the country. It was their only pride left and now, it was in the hands of this pirate.

"It's my duty as a samurai to retrieve that sword. Whether I want it or not, I still have to challenge you to win that sword." Suzume said as she closed her eyes.

"Heh." Zoro continued to smirk. He grabbed one of his swords and stood up. "Well, I am in a fighting mood anyway." He said. Suzume opened her eyes and stared into his. "I'm not going to challenge you today. You offered me food after all. Plus, I'm not going to challenge you if you don't take it seriously. It's an insult to not use all your swords during a duel."

"Ahh, Marimo!" Sanji yelled and threw a pan at Zoro's head, hitting him directly. "Oi!" Zoro yelled back, rubbing the newly damaged area. "How dare you insult and fight a lady!" Sanji continued to yell.

Suzume watched as the cook and the vice-captain began to fight.

"They always fight like this, don't worry." Franky whispered as he leaned closer to her. Suzume began to giggle at that. What an interesting crew. For once, she was interested to see how the entire crew was like.

"How about I offer you a SUPER tour of the ship until the dinner is ready?" Franky asked as he stood up. Suzume smiled and agreed with that.

×

By the time the tour was over, Suzume was completely amazed at what the cyborg next to her managed to achieve. Her favorite part of the ship has to be the aquarium but at the same time, she also loved the room where they were currently in the library.

There were so many different books that she has yet to hear of. But something caught her eye once she passed by it.

She stared at the book for a moment. It was something familiar about it like she has seen it before. She took it out of its shelf and began to look through it.

Her eyes widened. It was in a different language... A language that Suzume recognized immediately.

She placed the book back, not bothering to say a word. What were the Straw Hats planning? Do they even know how dangerous is to learn that language these days?

"Thank you for the tour, Franky. I wasn't expecting an aquarium inside a ship." Suzume laughed as she exited the room along with Franky. "That's usually where we all SUPER spend time in our free time." He nods.

She decided to play the card as if nothing happened. She knew she had to be sneaky if she had to ask for something like that. They didn't seem like the type of people who would spend time inside a library reading, meaning that the person who does, is out in the village.

"Well, I loved the aquarium. But to be honest, since I'm such a book nerd, I would probably spend more time in the library." She said with a smile, hoping that the cyborg would have to say something about that.

And so he did. "You would probably get along well with our archaeologist, Robin." Franky said as he gave a thumbs up.

'Robin, huh?' Suzume thought. So Nico Robin was learning about the ancient language; most likely to read the Poneglyphs. That explains a lot of things about the Straw Hats actions at Enies Lobby and the rumors about CP-9. What an interesting bunch...

As they finally made their way back to the deck, Suzume and Franky were both surprised to see the rest of the crew getting on the ship.

Suzume examined them for a second. The two girls, who Suzume immediately recognized them as "Cat Bulgar" Nami and Nico Robin, were both talking to each other at the moment, not noticing her and Franky's presence. The one who still was climbing the ladder was a cute Tanuki, who Suzume recognized as the Straw Hat's pet, Chopper.

The little guy almost fell from the ladder when a long hand-stretched all the way to the railing and then jumped on the ship. With the help of Nico Robin, Chopper also made his way safety on the deck.

"Oi, Luffy!" Chopper yelled at the person with the straw hat on his head. Suzume didn't need a wanted poster to understand that this was the ship's captain, Monkey D. Luffy. "My bad." He laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"You guys are back." Franky said as he stepped forward. Everyone turned towards him and then, all eyes landed on her.

"Who the heck are you?" Luffy immediately asked. Well nobody said that Monkey-san was a mannered one, but even so, that's exactly what Suzume was expecting from a strong pirate like him.

"Luffy, she helped Zoro find the ship." Franky said in her place. "Ah, really? That's nice." Luffy laughed as he placed his hands on his hips. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy; I'm gonna become the next Pirate King!" Luffy said with confidence.

"So I've heard. Nice to meet you, I'm Suzume, a Wano samurai." She smiled at the captain who's eyes began to sparkle at the word 'samurai'. "Samurai?! How cool!" He said.

"Wano?" Robin said under breath. "Samurai?" Nami asked at the same time. The samurai smiled at the two girls. "Nice to meet you." She said. "Same here." Nami replied.

"I'm 'Dead Bones' Brook. Nice to meet you." A voice said behind her, startling her a bit. When she turned around, her breathing hitched when she saw a talking skeleton with an afro right behind her.

"Ah, you're Soul King, right?" Suzume asked with a smile. The skeleton was a little taken back by her question. Perhaps he thought she was a fan of his or something.

"May I see your pant-" Before he could finish, Nami hit him, sending him at the other side of the ship.

The last one who was climbing the ladder was this guy with a long nose, someone Suzume hasn't seen in the wanted posters just yet. Maybe he recently joined the crew or something.

"Heh? Who's that?" He asked as he finally spotted her.

"This is Suzume-san. She's a samurai from Wano. She helped Zoro find the ship." Robin explained.

"So he got lost again, huh?" He sighed. "I'm Usopp, nice to meet you." He introduced himself.

"Likewise." The girl replied.

Behind the two girls, the cute Tanuki was having a hard time dragging along some big bags filled with supplies. So their pet was also their slave or something?

"This is Chopper." Nami introduced him. _So cute..._

"You're the pet, right?" Suzume asked.

"I'm the ship's doctor!"

×

Suzume was surprised to learn that the cute Tanuki was, in fact, a reindeer that could speak because of the devil fruit he ate. What was even more surprising was the fact that he was, in fact, the best doctor the Straw Hats have met.

They were an interesting bunch, she had to admit.

"Swo ywou afre frhom Whano (So you are from Wano)?" The captain asked as his mouth was filled with the cook's delicious food. She couldn't blame him. Sanji's food was amazing.

"Ah, yes." She smiled at him.

"Never heard of it." Luffy laughed once he gulped down all the food he had in his mouth. This made Suzume giggle. The captain is a blockheaded person like some people say.

"Luffy-san, all samurais come from Wano." Brook informed his captain.

"Are in Wano pretty girls like you?" Sanji asked as his eyes turned, for the hundred times today, into hearts. Suzume smiled at the cook and just shrugged. She wasn't sure what was the standard of beauty in his eyes.

"I've heard that not even the Navy go there since the samurais are SUPER strong." Franky said as he finished his cola.

Suzume smirked as the ship's sniper and the doctor seemed to get a little scared at what Franky had to say about Wano. But it was true. The Navy soldiers so aren't welcomed in Wano, neither are pirates.

"Eh? Really?" Luffy asked excitedly. Suzume replied to the captain with a nod. "So cool! Ok, I've decided! We're gonna go to Wano one day!" He announced with a grin.

Suzume gave Luffy a fake smile and then looked back at her plate. She also wished to go back to Wano one day... But it still was too early for her to go back. She hasn't accomplished anything to help her people.

"Same." She accidentally said out loud. A few people gave her a weird look, probably asking themselves why she wasn't going back to her country if she misses it so much.

"Then why don't you just go back?" Luffy asked confused.

"It's complicated." She immediately replied. "Why?" He asked.

Suzume clenched her teeth. This guy was sure a persistent one. But then again, maybe they know something about the person she's trying to get information out of.

"I'm currently on a mission." She began to explain. "I'm after someone, you see. Things are complicated in Wano at the moment and I'm trying to fulfill my duty as the - " The girl paused for a second. _"Well never mind that."_

"Who are you after?" Nami gulped.

There was complete silence in the room. They all sensed the tension and the hatred coming from the girl, who seemed to remember something horrible.

" _Joker_." She whispered.

"Who's that?" Zoro asked. It seemed many people in the room didn't recognize the name. Well, she couldn't blame them, that name wasn't his actual name.

"No one important. Someone who I have to take down to get to the _beast_ himself."

"I think I've heard of that name before." Robin said as she began to think where she might have heard it. "The name is pretty common in the underground." Suzume replied with a smile.

"Yohoho, Suzume-san sounds secretive, doesn't she? But to think that even a samurai struggles against someone. He must be pretty strong."

The girl smiled at the skeleton. "Well, there's no choice. I don't want to get you guys involved. It's too much for a pirate crew that just entered the New World." She giggled.

_Luffy frowned._

"Well, I guess." Nami laughed along.

Suzume slowly learned that the Straw Hats were nicer than she ever expected. Although the captain was a unique one, she had to admit, it was actually fun being with them.

When she finished her dinner, she decided to call it a day, and go back to the inn.

"Well, then, I should probably get going. Thanks for the meal. It was amazing" She said as she stood up. Luffy almost choked on his meat once she announced that she was intending to leave.

"Wait!" Luffy yelled after her, as she was about to exit the kitchen. Suzume turned around.

The boy had a big smile on his face when she was finally looking at him. The entire crew already knew what that smile meant and what their captain was about to ask.

"How about you join my crew?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can also find this story on my Wattpad account under the username the_pink_disaster .


	5. Chapter 4

Suzume was completely stunned at the captain's question. Why would he ask something like that? He didn't even see her fight yet. There was no guarantee that she was as amazing she made herself sound. She could easily be a complete liar and made everything that she had said up.

She wasn't even sure if that was a serious question, but the idiotic grin on the captain's face said that he wasn't kidding at all.

"W-What?" She stuttered. Maybe, just maybe, she didn't understand what he was saying.

"I asked you if you want to join my crew." Luffy pouted as he tilted his head. Suzume's eyes went wide open at his question. He was completely serious!

Suzume clenched her fist. The Straw Hats were nice people, _but_ she had a mission to fulfill. Joining a pirate crew wasn't going to help her fulfill the said mission, it would only slow her down.

She had a duty.

She smiled sadly at him. He had a good heart, but he shouldn't get involved in trouble just yet. 

Especially when it involved a _Yonko_.

"No, Luffy-san. I can't join your crew." She finally replied. "I told you, I'm in the middle of something very important."

Once again, Luffy frowned. He felt offended. He was strong! After all, this is why they were away for two years. She was underestimating them.

"I don't care!" Luffy said, making everyone sigh.

Suzume was taken aback once again. Why did he have to act like such a kid? She looked around the room. No one seemed surprised at the way their captain was acting like. Probably that's how they all joined the crew. But it wasn't going to happen to her as well.

"I'm sorry. I can't join." She repeated. Luffy didn't seem to take her seriously.

"We'll help you take down that Joke guy." He said confidently. Suzume gasped at his words. Does he even know what he's saying? He doesn't even know who Joker is!

"It's Joker, and you can't help me! You have no idea who this man is, or how powerful he is! What if he is a Yonko?! What if he's part of the World Government?! What if he was a Celestial Dragon?! Will you still do it?!" Suzume yelled.

He was such an idiot. He doesn't even realize what he's saying.

"YES!" Luffy yelled back.

At this point, Suzume was really losing it. He couldn't possibly mean what he's saying! He's a pirate! He just entered the New World. He has no idea how powerful this sea is or how powerful are people who conquer it.

"Oh man." Usopp said as he facepalmed. Neither one of the Straw Hats were surprised by Luffy's invitation or his answer to her question.

"It seems like our captain has his mindset again." Robin giggled. Zoro smirked at that.

"Yohohoho."

"I don't want to endanger you guys like this. Plus, you don't even know me, Luffy. I might as well be a Marine for all you know." Suzume sighed.

"I don't care!" Luffy yelled once again.

"I'm sorry, but I can't." The girl said before she left the kitchen.

×

After the girl left, much to Luffy's disappointment, the Straw Hats sat once again at the table, waiting to see what orders their captain will give.

It was clear that Luffy had his mindset on making the girl join their crew, but following her until she joined was not a great idea either.

"She seemed like a good person." Chopper said as he finished drinking his glass of juice. The others nod at him.

"But did you hear what she said about the guy she was after? She couldn't possibly mean it when she said the guy was a Yonko, right?" Usopp said, clearly scared over the entire situation.

Luffy was still frowning. He wanted the girl to join. He didn't care if he had to fight a Yonko to get her to join the crew.

"It's clear that the guy is SUPER strong."

"Yosh!" Luffy said as he stood up. "We're going to stay on this island one more day. It will be enough to get her to join. Shishishi." He laughed.

The others smiled at him and nod.

"Roger."

×

Suzume woke up the next day with the biggest headache she ever had. That guy, Luffy angered her so much, that she needed to drink to forget about the evening.

But to her luck, she could still remember his grin, and in her head, his question was repetitively being said, over and over again.

Why would he even want her to join anyway?

The girl sighed as she got out of bed. Today was going to be a really hard day of work if she doesn't do something about that headache first.

This was her last day on this island. She hoped that the Straw Hats had gathered their things and left because otherwise, they might probably convince her to join their stupid crew.

Gathering all her stuff in the bag she has been carrying for a year now, she looked one last time at the room before she went to pay her check.

 _'How annoying...'_ She thought as she exited the inn. Nothing happened. This island was no good either.

She was starting to get mad with every step she took. He was the most famous broker in the underworld, right? So then why was he so damn hard to find?

 _The truth was that even she didn't get the information on who Joker was._ All she could get out of the people who knew something about him was the things he has done, but not who knew who he was or where he is.

That sneaky bastard knew exactly how to hide and where. It seems that not even his subordinates are not some idiots either.

She decided to spend the last few hours exploring the island since she didn't get the chance to do so when she arrived. Westeria wasn't a small island at all, but it wasn't big either.

The people around the island didn't seem to have anything against pirates, something which was rather strange, but understandable since not a lot of pirates come here.

_Maybe she had better luck on the next island..._

She sighed as that crossed her mind. That's what she's been saying for a year now. Even she realizes that the task she has to do is impossible if she has to do it on her own. No one can take down these big names with just a few swords.

The people of Wano were waiting for her return. They were all waiting to be saved from the cruel fate that the bastard has laid upon the nation.

_Defeating Joker was their first step to take that beast down._

**_Kaido._ **

×

It was about twenty years ago when the Beast Pirates started to make their way to the Wano Kingdom. Before any of them were even able to strike, Kaido already overpowered them. He brought his entire fleet in the country and then did the unforgivable.

He executed the daimyo of Kuri, in the most sadistic way possible. The people of Kuri, were able to escape thanks to the noble and selfless act of their leader.

The plan was simple. They needed to destroy Kaido, but even they knew they stood no chance against him. They had to weaken him somehow.

That's where Joker was involved. They knew he had some sort of relation to the Yonko, but they still didn't get the chance to understand what exactly that relation was. They needed more intel.

And that's where Suzume made her entrance.

Her mission was simple. She had to gather intelligence on Joker to destroy him. No one knew who he was, or how powerful he is. All they knew was that they had to defeat him.

At any cost.

×

Right now, Suzume couldn't help but think that the Gods were on her side. Just as she was about to leave the island, she noticed a ship coming towards the docks.

Although the chances of someone on that ship having some sort of information about Joker were lower than Fishman Island, she was completely surprised when she heard one of the guys say something about Joker.

She just hit the jackpot, and she couldn't be happier.

The crew seemed pretty tough, but nothing she couldn't handle. She knew that to get as much information as possible she had to be sneaky. She couldn't possibly get herself discovered after searching for someone like them for months.

They might be the only source of information she could get.

She hid behind some barrels, the nearest she could find next to the ship. Although they chatted about simple things at the moment, she knew they had to mention Joker at one point. She was completely sure of what she heard earlier. They were one of _his_ subordinates.

"Man, I hope we get these delivered fast. I'm tired of sailing without any stops." A guy complained as he helped one of his crewmates carry a crate.

"Same here. I can't believe we have to go to Wano, though." The other guy sighed. Suzume's eyes widened at his words. Wano? Why? What are they delivering?

"Oi, idiots! Get these things on the ship faster. We can't lose any more time on this island. You know who the client is!" The captain yelled, making the two men gulp. By now, Suzume couldn't help but guess who the client was.

 _"Huh? What are you doing?"_ A voice asked, coming from behind. Suzume's eyes went wide open. She slowly began to turn around and was somehow relieved that the voice came from some she already knew.

Either way, Suzume began to panic as she saw the men slowly look in her direction. She quickly grabbed the man's arm and dragged him down at her level, making him hide along with her.

"What are you - mrphmrph! - " The guy next to her began to ask, but she quickly covered his mouth with her hand, silently telling him to shut up. "Shhh," The girl whispered as she held her index finger in front of her mouth.

Suzume tried to look past the barrels but quickly hid again, seeing that those pirates were looking in her direction.

"Did you hear that?" A guy asked, receiving an immediate response from the other guy. Shit, they heard them!

Suzume couldn't help but glare at the swordsman sitting on the ground, looking quite bored. He almost blew her cover! This was her only chance of getting some information about Joker! She couldn't let it pass by!

"Oi! Are you deaf! We're going to be more than dead if we are late with this delivery, you got that?" The captain yelled once again, making the two startle. "Yes, sir!" They both yelled, with a little fear felt in their tone.

"Shit, they're leaving." The girl whispered and began to slowly stand up, but not fully. She had to know what their 'delivery' was. She had to know!

She looked next to her, to tell the moss hair to not go after her but then she let out a gasp when she saw he wasn't there anymore!

Suzume immediately assumed the worst, breaking out in a cold sweat. She slowly began to turn back to the pirate ship, and almost tried to kill herself when she saw the green-haired swordsman walking behind the two pirates who were talking earlier.

This is it. This was her last day. Her life only brought shame to her family and her kingdom.

She was literally about to cry when she saw the swordsman step foot on the ship. Does he even realize what he is doing?!

Suzume sighed and began to run after Zoro. There was no point in hiding anymore. She needed to beat these guys up to get information out of them.

 _'That Roronoa! He's going to pay for this later!'_ She thought as she began to climb up the plank.

"Who are you?" A guy suddenly asked as he just noticed Zoro's presence. "Huh? Who are _you_ guys?" Zoro immediately replied with the same question. _"We asked you first!"_

"Wait! I know who this guy is! He's part of the Straw Hat pirates! Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro!"

"H-He's bounty is worth 120,000,000 berries! "

"Ahh! A Supernova?!"

Zoro tilted his head as he closed his eyes. He was starting to get annoyed with all the screaming.

"Seriously now..." Zoro said as his right hand went directly to one of his swords.

"Oi! Are you idiots or something? You're scared of a Supernova? Have you forgot who we have to face later?" The captain yelled at his crew, who right now was paralyzed in fear. That made some snap out of it.

Before anyone could do any kind of move, Suzume suddenly jumped behind Zoro, hitting him in the head in the process.

"Argh!" Zoro exclaimed. He, annoyed as ever, turned around, ready to slice up the person who dared to hit him.

"Are you crazy?!" Suzume yelled at him, anger written all over her face. "Me?! You're the one who hit me for no reason!" Zoro yelled back.

The pirates on the ship looked confused at the two. Who in the world was the girl? Why did she punch Roronoa Zoro? Does she even know who he is? But most importantly, WHY ARE THEY ON THE SHIP IN THE FIRST PLACE?

"Hey!" The captain yelled, making both Suzume and Zoro stop their little fight. "Why are you on this ship?!" The captain asked with a desperate tone. It was clear that he was just as confused as his crew was.

"I have no idea. She was following you guys, so I wanted to see what you guys were all about." Zoro shrugged. Suzume's jaw dropped. T-This guy was truly the worst!

"Following?" The pirates gasped, preparing themselves for attacking the girl next to Zoro.

Suzume blinked for a couple of seconds. What the hell is wrong with this guy?! Why would he do - Well never mind, there was nothing else to do but to beat these guys up.

"You'll pay for this later, Roronoa Zoro." She said as she took out her one of her swords. The girl cracked her neck as she let her hands loose for a few seconds.

The first wave of pirates charged at her. If Zoro didn't have Haki right now, he could've sworn the girl moved at the speed of light. She was amazingly fast, he had to admit.

Suzume quickly discarded the trash around her, the only person out of the crew remaining to be the captain himself. He was a lucky one, _or not_.

"Oi! Don't underestimate me!" The captain yelled as he charged at her. As he was about to attack, the man made eye contact with the samurai. His body, he had no idea why immediately frozen on spot. His breathing hitched as the girl placed her swords back.

The captain fell on his knees, staring at his hands. What did she even do to him?

Zoro raised one of his brows as he watched the girl's actions closely.

"So, " The girl began as she took a step closer to the man on his knees. "You guys were heading for Wano, huh?" The girl asked. The captain didn't reply, making Suzume a little frustrated.

"That's none of your business." The man said under his breath, making Suzume's eyes twitch.

She then walked behind the captain, placing one of her hands on his shoulder and leaning on him.

"I'm a samurai from Wano, you see... So, whatever you have to do in Wano is also my business. So you better speak up." The girl said in a dangerous tone.

The man didn't say a word.

"I know who you work under, Captain-san, and I also know who that delivery of yours is for. What I don't know is why Joker is sending such weaklings in Wano. Does he like to mock our country even more than he already did?" The girl growled as her anger was building up more and more. "Oh, you better speak up, or the next thing I do isn't going to be just a murder." The girl yelled as her hand went directly to her sword's grip.

The man closed his eyes in defeat. He already knew he messed up either way. They were done for.

"We're transporting Devil Fruits." The man said. Suzume's eyes widened. "Devil Fruits?" She repeated. "What? But that's just -" Suzume clenched her teeth.

"Where are these Devil Fruits?" Suzume asked as she clenched her fist, looking around the deck. "Not here if that's what you're looking for." The man replied with a smirk. Suzume furrowed her eyes. "Then? I suppose you were going to pick up the merch and then sell it? Where do you get the Devil Fruits?"

"Tch, persistent bitch." The man said under his breath, only to feel a second later the sharp tip of the sword against his neck. The man turned blue and slowly gulped. "We were on our way to Dressrosa." The man replied.

"What's on that island?" The girl asked. "Like hell, I'll tell you anything else! You can kill me, I don't care! Joker is going to find out about this, you know?" The man yelled. The girl pushed her sword against his neck, a little blood now streaming down the neck.

"Now, let me repeat my question. What's on Dressrosa?" She asked. "The SMILE Factory." The man hissed. Suzume stared at the man confused. What the hell was he talking about?

"What does the factory produce?" She asked hesitantly. The man now had a devilish smile on his face. "Devil Fruits." He replied casually. Suzume was completely stunned. Man-made Devil Fruits?!

So that's why Kaido was such a big costumer of Joker. Because of those man-made Devil Fruits. It all made sense now.

"Now, one last question." The girl said after a few seconds of complete silence. The man gulped. "Who's Joker?" The girl asked.

The man was completely stunned at her question. Was she actually serious? She didn't know who Joker was? The man began to laugh right in her face.

"You don't know who Joker is? Then, you are a nobody!" He laughed. Suzume frowned. "What, are you like trying to go against Joker or something? Don't make me laugh!"

Suzume clenched her teeth. This fool was making fun of her. Either way, it was his final moments. She knew he will say it. He _will_ say Joker's name.

"Young Master, I apologize. I should've been the one giving you the report on the samurais after you." The man closed his eye.

"Joker's name is..." Suzume held her breath. "Doflamingo-sama." Her eyes went wide open. She couldn't breathe anymore.

With the most ferocious yell she could produce, her grip on her sword tightened as a strong wind blown through her hair. Everything around paused for a mere second. She didn't need any sword to finish this guy.

 _The man dropped unconscious on the ground_. 

However, that did not reassure the girl about the situation she was in. She might have done one of the stupidest things. She just got involved with a Shichibukai. 

With Doflamingo no less...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can also find this story on my Wattpad account under the username the_pink_disaster .


	6. Chapter 5

That was definitely quite a show Zoro just watched. He didn't know exactly what he expected, but he definitely did not see Suzume as the type of person who could use Conqueror's Haki.

There are very few people in this world who are able to do that. From the looks of it, her rage isn't as big as Luffy's, but considering the fact that she's probably self-taught to do at least that much, he had to admit, it was impressive.

At first, Zoro did not understand why Luffy invited her to join the crew, but now he truly understands. Once again, Luffy was the first one to see through one's heart before anyone else.

Or that, or he may just think she looked cool and decided to ask her to join. It wouldn't be the first time he did that...

It did seem like that Haki put a lot of strain and pressure on her. Her breathing was telling the tale. 

He watched as the girl clenched her fist. She seemed to be in the middle of a fight, this time, the enemy was herself. She was probably hesitant after learning who her enemy's true identity was. It surprised Zoro too for a fact. Not every day a samurai girl wants to kill a Shichibukai.

And yet, Zoro couldn't help but think the Shichibukai wasn't even the real person she was trying to get to, as actually remembered her words from a night ago.

The girl took a deep breath before opening her eyes once again. She looked around for the swordsman, who she knew that he was still there, waiting to see what happens next.

He was a pain in the ass, no kidding.

But this had to end soon. She needed to leave immediately otherwise, Joker - no, Doflamingo will find out about who she is. She needed to get off this island as soon as possible.

But there was one last thing she needed to do. Just one more thing that she was obligated to do as she was still bearing the samurai title.

Her heart was accelerating every step she took. Once she was in front of the swordsman, she took out both of her swords and stood up straight, looking directly into Zoro's eyes.

"Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro. I challenge you to a duel in which will determine the fate of that sword's owner." She said without any emotion, as she pointed at the sword. Zoro couldn't help but sigh at the girl's hopeless expression.

She was about to get her ass kicked and she wasn't even aware of that.

Zoro shook his head and jumped off the railing, landing in front of the girl. He shouldn't underestimate her abilities just yet. The truth was, he was already planning from the start to go easy on her because he knew he will win either way. Maybe she also knew that. Or maybe she was underestimating him as much as he underestimates her.

But Zoro was no fool to let a chance like this pass by. He remembered Luffy's decision and the reason why they still were on this island. If Luffy couldn't convince her to join with her own accord, there was no choice but to get her to join by force. And this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

"Fine. I accept your challenge, but with a simple condition." He smirked. Suzume raised one of her brows but didn't see any harm in adding some of his terms onto the list. How bad could it be, right? "What is it?" She asked. "If you win, you get this sword," Zoro said as he lifted the Shisui up. "But _if I win..._ " Suzume waited patiently for the swordsman to finish. _"...you'll join the crew without any objections whatsoever_."

Suzume gasped at the swordsman's terms. This was insane! She was not going to become a pirate!

But a samurai has its honor, and that is the one truly important thing that should not be tainted. 'Very well, you know how to play, Roronoa Zoro - but this is still my game!' She thought with a smirk now visible on her face.

"Fine." She agreed, closing her eyes for a few seconds. Once open, her smirk disappeared. Her hands gripped the swords tighter as Zoro pulled out all his three swords. Suzume gulped for a second, as her eyes went immediately to that damn sword.

The two of them didn't say anything else. Zoro placed his third sword in his mouth, and not a second later, the two of them charged at each other.

Their swords clashed, with a loud sound. Suzume's eyes connected with Zoro's for a second.

She never noticed how dark his eye color actually was.

But then, as she let her guard down for a single second, Zoro used the sword from his left hand to attack. Suzume acted immediately, using the sword from her right hand to block the attack, as her left hand was occupied with holding his other two swords still.

Being a two swords style, she was at a disadvantage. Especially with this guy. She knew that he was a Haki user, and she also knew that her Conqueror won't work on him. After all, when she used it on the guy earlier, she didn't hold back, hoping that Roronoa will pass out as well and she will have to steal the sword.

Except, she knew that will not happen. This guy was trained to use Haki so well, he probably only felt a small itch or not even that. But she secretly wondered who this guy was trained by. After all, you don't just wake up one day with the Observation Haki all mastered up.

Suzume began to study Zoro for a few moments, letting him lay on a few hits on her. She was trying to understand where she saw the techniques before. They seemed familiar, but then again, she might be wrong.

Block, hit, block, hit, block... 

This continued for a while, making Suzume become more and more impatient as time passed. When was he going to reveal his true potential?! Did he STILL not realize that she was completely serious about this?

Suzume jumped back, panting for a few minutes before straightening herself up. She frowned at the swordsman.

"You're such a rotten person!" She yelled at him, frustration clearly written on her face. "You're not the type of man who would turn sexist on a fight! So then why?! Why aren't you giving everything you got!" She continued to yell, as she stared directly into his eyes.

But Zoro didn't answer right away. There was an insufferable silence between the two for a while before Zoro finally replied.

"If I'm going to use all my strength, _you're going to die_." He simply stated. Suzume's eyes went wide open. She couldn't believe this guy's confidence. What a nerve!

But deep down, she knew that she stood no chance against this guy. But it couldn't be helped. She was a samurai and that sword does not belong to him. It belongs to Wano.

"You might as well do as you please. This is my last warning. I won't hold back anymore. You angered me." She said before disappeared without a trace.

Zoro needed to use his Observation Haki in order to catch a glimpse of her surroundings. Just like before, she was moving fast, faster than what the normal human eye could process. Zoro knew she was serious about their small little quarrel, but he was actually _hesitant_ to hurt the girl.

He wasn't sure why, but something inside of him didn't want to see the girl hurt. If this was a normal fight, and the girl would've been his enemy, he would've killed her on the spot.

But either way, that won't do any good, if she was going to win this challenge and take the sword. Plus he was getting quite bored.

Using his Haki, Zoro managed to grab her shoulder and held her still. The moment Zoro touched her shoulder, Suzume's eyes widened, using her free arm to attack him.

This was a test of speed, and Suzume, the girl famous in her country for her unbelievable speed... **Failed**.

Zoro used his right hand and sliced the girl's left hand. Suzume cried out in pain, as she felt the sharp blade penetrate her skin. Blood was already starting to roll down her hand and onto the ground by the time she managed to get away.

She wasn't going to cry over a small cut! Although it hurt like hell, she stood straight in front of her opponent and looked at him for a second.

But that technique! _Only one person used that against her!_ It actually began to scare her.

"What the hell was that!" She yelled, now more angry than she has ever been in her life. With blood dripping from her hand to the ground, she walked towards him, dragging her swords along with her.

"Where did you learn that move!" Tears were now visible in her eyes. But Zoro knew better. She wasn't crying out of pain. "Where!" She screamed.

She threw her swords at his feet, meaning that the duel was now over. **_She surrendered._ **

"Who trained you?!" She yelled. Zoro remained quiet. "Actually don't answer that! I already know who trained you! But why did _he_ chose _you_?! Why you!" She asked, with pure anger written all over her face.

Zoro picked up her swords and sighed. What a pathetic fight this was. He hoped for better.

"He didn't choose me. I made him take me under his wing." He said annoyed before he threw the swords back at the girl. "But you seem to know him. Mind telling me from where exactly?" He asked almost amused at the situation.

Suzume frowned.

"He's my father."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can also find this story on my Wattpad account under the username the_pink_disaster .


	7. Chapter 6

The sun was beginning to sink into the ocean as the Straw Hats all finally gathered back at the ship. It's been a long day for each and every one of them.

Sanji was beginning to cook dinner, as he didn't have the chance to do so sooner. For him and Usopp, it has been a very hard day. Both of them were entrusted to gather supplies; the only problem was that Zoro was also supposed to help them. But as always, he got lost and they had to do all the work.

The rest of the crew were preparing themselves for a new journey that will start tonight. Nami wasn't much of a fan of that idea, but their captain made himself very clear that he wanted to leave the island as late as possible. He seemed very determined to make this samurai girl join, which wasn't something surprising as they've all been victims of Luffy's persistence.

Nami was filling in her maps, Robin was reading while Brook was singing, Usopp and Franky were checking the engines, Chopper was organizing his shelves and Luffy... Well, Luffy seemed to be the only one who didn't have anything to do.

He was standing on top of Sunny's head, looking at the beautiful sunset before him. The straw hat-wearing boy was upset. He really wanted to make that girl join. He spent his entire day trying to find her, trying to redo all her steps, only to find out in the end that she left the island first thing in the morning.

But just as his hope began to crumble much like the sun who was now fully sunk into the ocean, out of the corner of his eyes, Luffy spotted a familiar green colored hair.

When Luffy fully looked in that direction, he saw no one other than Zoro, who wasn't alone. You couldn't miss Luffy's grin once he spotted the girl walking alongside Zoro.

Luffy stood up on his feet and began to wave at the two.  
"Zoroooo!" Luffy yelled as he waved. "Did you got lost again?" He continued, making the vice captain's eye to twitch out of annoyance. The swordsman did not hesitate to reply back a second later. "Yeah right! Like I ever get lost!" He yelled back, making Luffy laugh.

The girl next to him didn't seem amused at all by all of this. She had a frown on her face the entire walk back to the ship. Luffy was getting ready to ask her to join again, but what he did not know yet was that the girl was already part of his crew.

Once on the ship, even Luffy could sense the awkward silence between Zoro and the girl.

"Ah! You came back!" Luffy smiled at the girl, but she didn't seem to be affected by anything he had to say, making Luffy tilt his head in confusion at her sudden change of attitude. Well, girls were a mystery anyway.

Before the girl had anything to say to the captain, Zoro walked next to the girl and rested his arm on her right shoulder. The girl, obviously annoyed that she was being used as a support, she quickly pushed his arm away.

"Samurai-chan here decided to join the crew, Luffy." Zoro said with a smirk. The girl couldn't help but look at the guy next to her with confusion. Wasn't he going to tell Luffy everything that happened? Wasn't he going to humiliate her in front of the entire crew?

"For real?!" Luffy jumped on her left side, quickly grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her along with him. "Hey, wait for a second!" The girl tried to break free from his hold, as she began to feel pain in her left arm.

"Hey, everyone!" Luffy called out the entire crew, which quickly came to see what the commotion was all about. Everyone smiled at the captain once they saw the girl standing next to him. "Starting from today, she's our new crewmate!" Luffy announced, making everyone cheer.

×

Suzume's left hand almost felt numb from Luffy's hold. The pain was beginning to become a little too much coming from just a simple cut. But she had to endure the pain until later. After all, that swordsman didn't lie for nothing.

Suzume was surprised that Zoro didn't say absolutely anything of how she actually 'joined' the crew. But that did not mean that he had something good in store either. He might as well be saving it for later, so he could use that information for later.

All was well until her left hand began to bleed again. Suzume winced in pain. The first one to notice the blood was the ship's doctor, who gasped in surprise.

"Oi, Luffy!" The reindeer yelled as he ran towards Suzume. Luffy confused as to why the doctor was yelling at him, he looked at Suzume. He immediately noticed the blood that was now, also on his arm.

"What happened?!" Luffy asked panicked, probably thinking it was his fault that the girl was bleeding. Suzume couldn't help but smile a little. She placed her hand on the injury, putting some pressure on it.

"I kind of got in a fight. Sorry about that." She said, looking at Zoro from the corner of her eye. "Ahhh! Who dared to injure my beautiful Suzume!"   
Sanji yelled in horror. 

"Y-your?" Suzume murmured.

"Suzume? Who is that?" Luffy asked confused making Nami facepalm. "Her, you idiot!" She said annoyed. "Oh, so that's your name!" Luffy laughed at Suzume, making everyone sigh.

The girl couldn't help but worry. What in the world did she sign up for?

*  
Suzume was currently in the ship's bay, with Chopper, who was preparing to tend her injury. After the little show on the deck, Chopper grabbed her hand and dragged her to the bay to help her stop the bleeding.

The girl was swinging her legs as she sat comfortably on the bed. She couldn't help but reflect on what happened today. Her life has changed so much in the last 24 hours that she thought that she was just having a really long nightmare that she couldn't wake up from.

When Chopper got everything that he needed to tend the wound, he turned around and looked at Suzume for a second. The girl already knew what was the problem. She was in a kimono. The doctor couldn't do anything if she had that kimono on her.

So she began to undress. After she finally discarded the last piece that was holding the kimono, the fabric fell down to her legs, revealing the beautiful body that the girl had. She wasn't exactly naked, but she felt as if she was. After all, the girls in Wano wouldn't even dream of wearing anything else but a kimono.

Chopper was about to say something but stopped and stared at the girl, more precisely, at the large cut the girl had on her entire chest down to her stomach, a cut somehow similar to what Zoro has. Not wanting to send the wrong message, Chopper immediately began to clean her cut from the left hand.

Suzume couldn't help but look at the small reindeer who cleaned her wound. Although she swore to herself not to get attached to these guys, she secretly wondered what stories they all have to tell. She only heard about them from other people or newspapers but now, after meeting them and getting to know them a little better, they all seemed to be the opposite of how they're described by others.

What Suzume didn't know was that even the doctor was wondering about her origins. Chopper was, just like Luffy and Usopp, very excited to get a new nakama. Learning that she was an actual samurai from Wano only made them even more excited. The one who seemed very interested in her was Brook; and for the first time, not in a perverted way. Kudos to him.

"So you're a reindeer." Suzume said awkwardly. "Yes." Chopper nods, making Suzume tilt her head. "And you learned by yourself medicine? I mean... You..." Suzume said, making Chopper freeze. She was about to talk about his blue nose, wasn't she?! "W-what?" Chopper stuttered. 

"Well, the reindeer I've seen don't talk or walk on two feet. They especially aren't good doctors like you." Suzume laughed, making Chopper's eyes widen. 

"G-Good d-d-doctor?" Chopper began to tremble. "Hmm? Yeah..." Suzume said.

All of a sudden, Chopper jumped away from her, and with a smile on his face, he began to dance happily. "I don't care about your opinion, you idiot! I'm not happy at all that you jerk ♥" Chopper yelled as he danced, leaving Suzume a little stunned.

'H-He seems pretty happy though... But h-he's so cute~' She thought as she smiled at him.

If there was one thing that could finish Suzume off with just one look, it would definitely be cute things. Chopper was in her opinion, the definition of cute.

Once Chopper finished stitching up her cut, she thanked him and stood up from the bed. She stared for a moment at the kimono which was now on the ground. She was a pirate now... Wearing that kimono would only mean that she still holds onto her past. She made a promise to that good for nothing swordsman that cannot be broken. Breaking that promise would only destroy who she really is even more.

"Doctor-san?" Suzume called out to the reindeer. "Could you possibly ask one of the girls for some spare clothes? Staying in kimono all the time isn't very comfortable." Suzume asked with a smile.

Chopper immediately agreed and walked outside to ask Nami and Robin for some clothes. Suzume remained inside, in her underwear, waiting for the doctor to return with the clothes she needed.

Her heart was beating faster than usual. Maybe it was because she was naked inside a room which obviously was not locked, or maybe it was because she knew what will happen next. Once the marines find out about her being the new member of this mess of a crew, she would definitely have a bounty on her head.

What scared her the most was what her father is going to think of her, now being a pirate and all. He will probably laugh since she always had a grudge against them and now, she was one of them.

As she began to play with her fingers, she couldn't help but look out the small window the room had. The ocean's waves were hitting the ship harmoniously as the seagulls could be heard flying back to their home.

The stars have started to make their appearance in the night's sky, but the main attraction wasn't the beautiful designs the little dots made but the full moon which was shining brightly, making the water glisten at its light. Simple but absolutely breathtaking.

Staring at the night's sky, she began to wonder when was the last time she had time to admire the stars. A long time, that was for sure.  
Ever since she left home, she had one goal set in her mind and that was to kill Joker the minute she finds out his identity. But that was impossible from the start. What did she even expect? This was Kaido she wanted to take down, of course, that even the people who provide him power are monsters.

She almost felt like crying. She had lost everything in just an hour, what purpose could she possibly have any more? There is no way she can take down Doflamingo. She lost to a pirate, after all, enough said.

As she was lost in her thoughts, Suzume did not hear the small knock at the door. The door suddenly opened, making the girl turn around and look at the person who just entered, thinking it was the doctor who came back to give her some fresh clothes. But the intruder was not Chopper but a certain blonde-haired cook who was holding a tray of food in his hands.

Suzume couldn't help but blush. She didn't realize how much time has actually passed ever since she started staring out that window; time in which she could've grabbed a cloth and wrap it around her almost naked body.

Both of them stared at each other, none of them dared to blink. The silence almost seemed excruciating for Suzume. Not that she didn't have confidence in her body but she didn't exactly comply with showing her body to a stranger.

Suzume furrowed her brows. The cook froze right at the doorstep, his right hand still on the handle. The girl grabbed the small blanket that was on the bed and wrapped it around her, not before she grabbed the tray from the cook. She then pushed the cook out of the room and slammed the door right in his face, leaving Sanji in that same exact position he was when he entered the room.

Several minutes have passed and Suzume was almost done finishing her dinner when she heard a sudden yell from outside the door.

"Ahh! Sanji! Why are you turned into stone?!" Chopper's voice could be heard. Turns out that the cook didn't suffer brain damage like Suzume first thought happened to him. The pervert just turned into stone when he saw her in her underwear.

Behind the door, a panicked Chopper was running around the petrified (literally) cook. "We need a doctor!" He cried. Suzume tilted her head at that statement. "Y-you are..." She said as she pointed at him. "Ah, right!"  
Sweat began to drop down her forehead as she helped Chopper carry Sanji to the bed. What kind of pirate crew was this? Again, what did she sign up for?! (Involuntarily)

After stone Sanji has finally reached its destination, Chopper gave Suzume her new spare of clothes. Her eyes went wild as she stared at the clothes places before her. This is what women wear these days outside Wano? It was a little bit way too revealing...

Suddenly, an image of a certain moss haired swordsman popped inside her head. She could just imagine his amused expression at her right now. Not only did he strip her from her pride but now he was going to strip her of her dignity too? (Indirectly of course)

But one thing was certain. If she won't care about it, she won't regret it.  
With Chopper's help, she found her way to the bathroom where she changed into her new clothes, not before taking a nice long shower. Her thoughts were running wild inside her head. She just wanted to relax but it seemed almost impossible now.

She just hoped to go to bed and hopefully, wake up to find it was all just a nightmare.

×

Grunting, the man slowly made his way towards his room. Behind him, his entire crew was laying on the ground, injured and left to die. That wasn't his priority, however.

Finally reaching the table at the corner of the room, he grabbed the den den mushi and with his trembling hands began to dial a certain number.

'Purururu'  
'Purururu'  
'Pururu- KATCHAK'  
"Y-Young Master... "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can also find this story on my Wattpad account under the username the_pink_disaster .


	8. Chapter 7

She almost couldn't believe that the girl staring back at her was in fact... _her_. It's been a while since she last took a good look at herself. Her looks mattered so little during the time she chased after the mysterious Joker, that she never bothered to take care of her appearance.

Her straight hair was all tangled, her eyes looked puffy and tired and her skin was paler than usual, making her look sick. The sole purpose of finding Joker made her forget about her looks and needs which is probably why that small cut made her feel like she was actually cut apart.

Outside, the Straw Hats were happily waiting for their newest member to come and join them at the party. While Suzume was in the bathroom, trying out her new clothes, the crew decided to throw a small, last-minute, welcome party at Luffy's idea.

Luffy was jumping in his seat as he started to eat the nearest food he could find, resulting to be scolded for the hundredth time today by the ship's cook, Sanji. Earlier that very evening, Sanji was once again struck by the gods and received another blessing from them. With pure intentions (kind of), he went to the ship's bay to deliver to their newest member of their crew, her dinner. The reason why he did not wait until she came by herself to the kitchen was that he feared that Luffy was going to eat everything. Before the hungry monster could smell the food, he made sure to secure a large plate filled with food for Suzume.

But, when he entered the bay, his entire body turned into stone, as before him, stood the most beautiful sight a man could ever come across. But much to his disappointment, that sight did not last long. He froze at the doorstep and turned into actual stone when the girl stepped in front of him and pushed him out of the room.

Now, just thinking about it gives him goosebumps.

Nami seemed to be really happy that another girl joined their crew. Being the first girl of the crew and also one of the very first people to join, she knew better than anyone how hard it is to handle these guys. Although sometimes they were a handful, Suzume had to learn that there is nothing to do about it than to just go with the flow... Especially when it came to Luffy.

Brook was keeping his excitement on a low level. Although the new member was a girl, he didn't actually care about that fact, meaning that he did not have in plan to ask her about her panties (for now). What really sparked his interest was the fact that not only she was from Wano but that she was also a samurai. A status which he was _dying_ to encounter for years. But he's already dead... Yohoho~

Once Brook finally started to sing at the request of the captain, Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp started to dance around the bonfire, as the others were roasting some food or in Robin's case, reading a book. The only people who were out of this scene were the sword wielders, Zoro and Suzume.

The girl decided to check her appearance one last time before could gather the courage to leave the room. She felt really nervous about what she was wearing. Never in her life, she was needed to wear something so outrageous like this and yet, the clothes could almost feel comfortable if they weren't so short.

But it couldn't be helped. If she would've continued to wear that kimono and continue to think that she still bears the samurai title, she would have no choice but to commit seppuku*. After all, her pride was all she had left, even though it was almost non-existing at the moment.

When she finally felt brave enough to meet the Straw Hat's eyes, she slowly opened the bathroom door. Immediately, she felt a strong breeze of wind hit her skin, making her shiver a little. She never wore something that exposed her skin this much, so naturally, it felt kind of weird.

From the bathroom door, Suzume could perfectly see the commotion that was happening on the deck. Her heart began to beat faster as all of them, one by one, noticed her presence. Luffy grinned at her. He stretched his arm and grabbed on to the railing near the bathroom, jumping right next to Suzume.

"You finally got out of there. What took you so long? Did you have to poop or something?" He asked casually. At this point, Suzume learned not to take everything said seriously. She closed her eyes for a few seconds as she breathed in some air. "No. I was just trying on the new clothes." She replied, trying to remain calm.

Luffy tilted his head and looked at her clothes. "Well, whatever. We have a party ready for you!" He said as he placed his arm around her neck. Before he could jump on the deck, with her hanging from his arm, Suzume stopped him and got out of his grip.

"I'll take the stairs, thanks." She said as she pointed at them and began to go down the stairs. "What? But it's faster that way! You're no fun." He said before sulked. But she didn't care if he was no fun. She wanted to survive her first night here.

Luffy stretched his arm back to where the others were and grabbed Chopper's horn. Chopper began to run away but it was too late; Luffy was already flying into his direction. The only thing the poor reindeer could do was to yell in horror. Luffy went flying directly into the doctor, making him collapse on the ground while Luffy landed safety on him.

"That was fun!" Luffy laughed as he rested his hands on his hips. "OI, LUFFY! GET OFF!" Chopper yelled as he tried to push him off. "Oh? Chopper? Why are you-" Before he could finish the sentence, Usopp appeared out of nowhere and slapped him on the back. "Because of you!" Both of them yelled. Luffy stood up after that and laughed. "Really? My bad."

Suzume held her breath. Once again, this guy's stupidity was beyond her. She couldn't understand how someone like him could be so respected among the crew.

Suzume finally joined the crew on the deck and sat down next to the bonfire, in a corner away from the crazy captain and the cook (the event prior that evening left her a little scared of the perverted cook). As she was enjoying the fresh air, she couldn't help but notice that one crew member was missing from this craze... Roronoa Zoro.

Where could he be?

Her frustration grew stronger as minutes passed and there was still no sign of the swordsman. She clenched her teeth in anger. He is the reason why she joined this damned crew but he doesn't even spend time with them?

×

The evening turned out to be quite alright, much to her surprise. The present crew (pretty much everyone except Zoro) took turns to tell stories of their past and how they ended up on this crew. What really surprised her was how much she could relate to their stories. She never expected a pirate crew to be so noble. Maybe that's exactly why they were considered the craziest out of the Supernovas.

"Say, how's Wano like?" Nami asked as she drank some juice. Tonight she decided against drinking alcohol, considering the fact that they will leave in a couple of hours. A hangover was the last thing she wants while trying to find the best way to get back to their original course.

Suzume stared at the fire in front of her, not saying anything for a minute. She heard the question loud and clear but she did not intend to tell the Strawhats the truth about the country's condition, especially after learning who 'Joker' actually is.

After hearing their stories and learning the circumstances on how they joined the crew, she knew that if she would tell them that her country was in a bad condition and in urgent need of help, they will be stupid enough to help her. That was the last thing she wanted for some rookies who just entered the New World.

"It's really pretty." Suzume smiled trying to hide her worried expression. "There are a lot of cherry blossoms, creeks, mountains, forests and so on. We rely on nature to survive." That was before Kaido came and poisoned the waters and destroyed the forests. "As you may know, samurais are the ones who protect the country. While men are required to know how to wield a sword, women aren't usually taught something like that. They usually end up wanting to marry someone with higher status for obvious purposes." Suzume explained.

Little by little, the Straw Hats began to make an image of the country. Although she lied about the current state of it, she wanted at least them to think that Wano was still beautiful as it once was.

"So there are ninjas there too?! Cool! Let's go to Wano one day!" Luffy said while his eyes sparkled with excitement. Suzume couldn't help but smile at him.

"I would die to see a geisha* perform only for me!" Sanji declared as his nose started to bleed a little from the image he created inside his head. Suzume wanted more than ever to roll her eyes at the cook's thirst.

"From what happened on Fishman Island, I wouldn't be surprised if you actually died from that. That would be another problem for us... F" Chopper mumbled.

"That reminds me... Didn't you say there are some problems in Wano you have to resolve?" Usopp suddenly asked making Suzume's open wide. She just realized how careless she was with them but at the same time who would've thought this would be the outcome of meeting them.

"Yeah, I remember. You said you were after Joker, right?" Nami tried to remember. Suzume chuckled in order to get rid of the nervousness she felt. Now that everyone was looking at her, she knew that if she didn't answer them fast, they will begin to be suspicious of her story.

"Ah, that... I got a call that the issue was resolved, that being the main reason why I decided to accept your request for joining the crew." Suzume lied. She was surprised that it took just that much for them to believe her words.

The more thought about it, the more she felt more anxious. What was she going to do? She couldn't abandon her people for a lie but obviously, she couldn't possibly tell these guys the truth. Leaving this ship was also a huge no for her, as the duel she lost was the reason for that. In order words, she was stuck. Doing nothing however was not what she had in mind.

She knew only one person that could help her right now and as much as she hates to reach out for his help, she had no choice but to do so.

"Well, I think that's enough excitement for tonight. Mind telling me where the bedroom is? I think I should unpack now and probably go to sleep if I can." Suzume said as she stood up.

To her relief no one questioned her. As Nami was about to stand up, a voice suddenly interrupted her action.

"I'll show her where the dorms are. I was going there anyway." Suzume didn't need to turn around to know who that voice belonged to. That bastard surely wanted to have a word or two with her, probably about her story.

It was during the time when she was telling the others about Wano when she noticed Zoro's presence. He was leaning on the railing, sharpening his swords when he suddenly turned his head in her direction only to meet her eyes. Flustered by the eye contact, she pretended not to notice him and continued to talk about Wano with the others.

"B-but..." Nami began but before she could protest, Zoro cut her off. "We're about to sail anyways." He said making everyone realize just how late it was. The night's sky was fading as the sun began to rise.

After saying goodbye to the crew in a polite manner, she began to follow Zoro. She didn't know if he was certainly leading her to the dorms but one thing she knew for sure was that he wanted answers.

She may have lied to the others but she couldn't lie to him as well. He knew too much already.

Much to her relief, Zoro did lead her to the women's dorm. The room was very welcoming unlike the room she managed to get on the island.

Her bag was right beside the next bed next to the wall. Were there always three beds in this room? Zoro seemed to have read her thoughts as he explained that Franky installed the new bed while she was getting treated.

Thinking that he might leave her be, for now, she sat down on her new bed only to be surprised by Zoro who sat down on the bed next to hers.

"What are you doing?" She asked a little annoyed. She predicted something like this would happen however, that did not mean it wasn't getting on her nerves. "Let's cut to the chase. What exactly are you hiding that it's so important? Are you working for someone?" He asked as he crossed his arms.

"I'm not working for anyone if that's what you're worried about. Just leave me be and there won't be any problems." She hissed.

"As much as I want to do that, I can't possibly trust someone who was in pursuit of a Shichibukai a few hours ago. Spill it. I don't have all day to waste." He said in a more aggressive tone this time.

"Roronoa, my country's affairs have nothing to do with you." Suzume said as she stood up from her bed. Lifting up her bag from the floor, she placed it on her bed and opened it. Inside there wasn't much. Some soap, emergency food, money; the essentials. One thing she didn't take out of the bag was the small snail stuffed inside a small pocket, almost unnoticeable.

As she was about to take the last item out, her hand was grabbed by Zoro's, who by the looks of it, looked really pissed off.

"Let me go!" Suzume exclaimed as she tried to free her hand out of his painful grip. Zoro, however, didn't even budge. "I was understanding enough not to tell the other about your little search for Doflamingo. However, if you do not want your head off in the next couple of seconds, I suggest you talk." Zoro said as he brought his face close to hers, making Suzume turn her head away.

It seemed like problems were coming after her one after another. Zoro didn't seem to be jocking and she knew damn well he could cut her without any sort of remorse. However, telling him something about Wano and the country's condition was not going to happen. The last thing she wanted was for another pirate to go to Wano and to use the opportunity to rob the country. But what use was lying to him? He already knew too much for his own good.

"Fine, I'll talk." She said as she finally released her hand from his grip.

×

*Seppuku = Honorable suicide committed by Samurai after they have shamed themselves or are failed their masters. Samurai could be ordered to commit suicide by their lords (Daimyo). The samurai would disembowel himself, and when the pain got to be too much to where he might shame himself, his second would decapitate him.

*Geisha = Japanese women who entertain through performing the ancient traditions of art, dance, and singing, and are distinctively characterized by traditional costumes and makeup. Contrary to popular belief, geishas are _ not  _ the Eastern equivalent of the _prostitute._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can also find this story on my Wattpad account under the username the_pink_disaster .


	9. Chapter 8

Coming up with something plausible enough for Zoro not to call it a bluff was hard enough as it seemed. Either way, whatever she blurted out during that intimidating interrogation was long forgotten. By the time that was over, the ship already sailed and any plans of escaping were now out of the same window she now looked through.

There was no other choice anymore. She had to contact  _ him.  _ As much as she hated to ask for help from someone so – close-minded, she was out of options.

But when the Den Den Mushi kept on ringing without any response from the other line, Suzume knew right away that she had to get out of this on her own. Angry at the recipient and also at herself, she threw the snail on her bed, that was on the other side of the room.

Her head was pounding. She couldn't think straight anymore. This mission is her priority; it wasn't something she could just put on hold for the time being and live a few years on the ocean, drifting to who knows where. The people back in Wano are dying, either of hunger or execution. There are no questions asked if she could or not abandon this mission.

She needed to defeat Doflamingo. And if the Straw Hats were her ticket to it, she had no choice but to lead them right at his doorsteps. Coming up with such a plan for an unpredictable crew like them isn't easy. It fact, it's pretty much impossible.

The formal meeting of the crew earlier that night helped her understand their mentality and their way of reacting to dangerous situations. From what she has learned, Luffy is the one that takes all the important decisions and everyone respects that. If the captain said no, no it remained. Which was a little surprising for Suzume judging by the fact that the little idiot was ready to jump in a fight with a Yonkou just for the sake of joining his crew. The crew itself, however, did not seem surprised by this. In fact, they looked rather amused by the whole situation.

Luffy was an enigma for Suzume. She liked the boy. He seems naive but then, when you see his bounty, you start to question his very own being. He was like a child at times but then you find yourself thinking back to when he punched a Celestial Dragon just so he could save his friend. He had a noble soul. He wasn't greedy like others. He didn't seem to be the kind of person that cared about money or anything that is materialized. He wanted one thing in this world and that was freedom.  _ Something Suzume could only dream about. _

Suzume was never in a position where she could choose something just for the sake of her own being. Not that it mattered what she wanted at the moment. Her duties to Wano involved everyone's safety, she couldn't just turn her back to it. Duty means doing something you might regret. You can't run away from it. It chases after you until it finally catches on. Even if you don't get anything in return.

She began to rub her temples. This entire situation gave her a headache. She had no idea what to do anymore.

** × **

Later that day, Suzume decided it was time to get out of her hiding spot and to try to get a little closer to the Straw Hats. She felt bad for using them, judging by the fact that they seemed to trust her. She didn't want to be the villain in this situation but there was no choice anymore.

Pirates always take on Yonko's and Shichibukai's all the time, so she had no reason to feel guilty. Yet, she found herself carrying a heavy heart. They seemed different than the others; more good than evil. They all seemed so naive as if they were 100% sure she wasn't going to attack them in the middle of the night and sink the ship with them (not that she had that planned or anything). It was weird to see so much trust coming from a group of strangers. Maybe that was the problem.

Or maybe the problem was that Suzume didn't trust them. And yes, that was very much true. She did not trust this group of pirates. At the end of the day, they were pirates, whether they liked it or not. She was raised in a country were pirates are regarded as heathens, highly dangerous criminals, outlaws. Even though you don't see them much these days because of Kaido's  _ arrangements _ , you definitely know who is a pirate when you spot one. They were all the same: lacking manners, unrefined, rude and to top it all off, good at lying. How could Suzume be sure that they didn't just put on a facade this entire time?

It was around lunchtime when Suzume stepped out of the girl's dorm.

The ship looked a lot more alive during day time, that was for sure. The grass from the deck had a healthy vibrant green color. The sun was shining brightly, hitting the water of the wide ocean that surrounded the ship. It was truly a beautiful day to sail.

The crew seemed to have finally calmed down for last night's 'party' and now all were doing their own thing. Suzume immediately spotted the trio consisting of the Capitan, the Sniper, and little Chopper, who were currently fishing. No other crew members were in sight at the moment. The only person she spotted other than those three was the cook who was currently preparing lunch.

She wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting. They all seemed a little too relaxed. What if an enemy ship showed up, or worse, the Marines? Will they be prepared for such a battle?

Suzume didn't know she was staring right at the cook until he noticed her. Immediately regretting that she cursed under her breath for being such an airhead. As predicted, the cook began to dance his way towards the nearest window, opening it gently.

"My dearest flower! Suzume-chwan ~ How was your sleep ♥ ?" Sanji yelled out the window, pretty much announcing her presence on the deck.

The trio immediately turned towards her. She felt a little embarrassed to have so many people look at her and only her. She never noticed how awkward she actually was during normal interactions. That or maybe it was because of that outfit the Navigator gave her.

Not wanting to just stand there like an idiot, she smiled at the cook and replied to his question. "Yes, it was very refreshing." She said in a lower voice, trying to mask away from her shyness. Not only it didn't help, but it actually made things worse. Hearing her words, Sanji placed his hand on top of his fast-beating chest, which felt as if an arrow was just shot at him, right into his heart. Her innocence was killing him.

She was truly lost for words. She couldn't really understand the cook. All she did was to reply to his question. Why does he react this way? Was he truly that desperate for female attention? The three other boys didn't seem surprised by Sanji's behavior, if anything, it seemed like it was something normal. It made Suzume wonder how many of these types of interactions will she have with the cook.

"Suzu~! You're finally awake!" Luffy exclaimed, all having a huge grin on his face. It seems that the Captain has waited quite a while for the new member to wake up. Having a new crew member was exciting as it could be after all. 

"S-Suzu?" She stuttered as she repeated his words. He gave her a nickname – he actually gave her a nickname. They've only just got to know each other and they're supposed to be already friends?

"Don't stress about it. He gives nicknames to everything that counts over 5 letters." Usopp said as he waved his hand in front of his face. And suddenly she was reminded just who she was dealing with. Not the fact that he gave her a nickname bothered her, but the fact that he trusted her so easily. It made her even more guilty.

"Right..." Suzume sighed. It hasn't been even five minutes since she spent her first day on the ship and she already felt the need to smack her head into something.

"You were fishing?" Suzume asked, changing the subject. "We are competing." Chopper replied. His voice was so adorable that her heart just couldn't take it. She smiled at the reindeer's cuteness.

Nothing could beat Suzume in terms of speed. She was well known throughout Wano for being the only female samurai capable of such speed and power. It was a miracle that Kaido didn't try to recruit her. And yet, the only thing that could finish her in just one look was –  _ cuteness _ . You name it, a bunny, a stuffed animal, a doll, a pillow; if it was cute, Suzume was right there to fall for it and protect it at all means necessary. And Chopper fell right under that category. Cute.

"Can I touch your fur?" Suzume couldn't help but ask. She didn't really care if she sounded creepy but she needed to know if that fur is just as fluffy as it looks. Usopp raised his eyebrows at her question while Luffy started to laugh at her randomness. She was truly out of character when it came to Chopper.

"Sure?" The doctor replied, not knowing what to really say or to think about that random question. Smiling, Suzume brought her shaking hands under his chin and began to scratch him. Now, that felt like Heaven for Chopper. She almost squealed but bit back any sounds that tried to come out of her mouth and immediately stopped petting poor Chopper before she scared him for good.

"You're weird, aren't you?" Luffy laughed making Suzume choke on some air. Yeah, maybe it wasn't a good idea to ask that, even if her heart was in the process of melting from all that cuteness.

Feeling the need to get out of there before they really start to make fun of her, she excused herself from the conversation before it got too deep and went along to search for some other crew members to spend some time with.

Don't get her wrong, the three boys were cute but they were too hyper for her. There was too much energy surrounding their own being and Suzume was sure she couldn't keep up with all of that.

Making her way towards the aquarium, there she met Nami who was currently calculating the budget of the crew. Suzume learned really quickly about the Navigator's obsession with money, something that in her eyes, seemed a little out of character for someone with a pretty face. Of course, besides all of that, Suzume knew Nami was a good person.

"Yohohoho~" A voice chuckled behind Suzume, almost giving her a heart attack. Behind her, stood tall and proud, the musician of the crew. The only character from this crew that really stood out for her was this walking, talking skeleton. He was the one most interested in Wano. His story was a sad one and it broke her heart to know that not only he watched his crewmates die right in front of his eyes but when he got the chance to come back to life, he sailed the sea for years, on the same ship, alone. Behind that cheerful voice of his stood a once sad, lonely individual.

"Suzume-san, it seems that you finally woke up from your sleep." Brook said. Suzume gave him a small smile in return. It felt weird to talk to a skeleton. It was truly fascinating to see such beings having the ability to talk and – be essentially human. It made her wonder what other wonders are in this world that waited to be discovered.

"I've found myself unable to think straight today. It seems I have forgotten to ask you the most important question out of all." The skeleton said. She wasn't sure what he wanted to address, but she could only guess. Her first thought was that he was going to ask something about Wano. Even Nami stopped scribbling and looked at the two.

"May I see your panties?" Brook asked after fixing his bow.

Suzume was truly lost for words now. Was – was he also a freaking pervert? What was wrong with this crew...?

Before she could say anything, Nami threw her shoe in his head. Suzume was now staring at the skeleton who was laying on the ground.

Nami sighed and stood up. She walked beside the samurai and collected her shoe. "Don't mind him." She said as she put the shoe back on. "They're always like this. It takes a while to adjust, but believe me, it gets better once you kick their butts." She smiled as she placed her hand on her shoulder. "But if you need someone to kick their butts for you at any perverted comment, for 500 Berries, I'm your girl." Nami winked and went back to what she was doing earlier.

"Thanks?" Suzume replied quietly, a little confused.

Suddenly, in the aquarium room was heard a loud splash and in the water. A mini-submarine was making its way towards the bottom of the aquarium. Suzume wasn't really sure at what she was looking at and Nami pretty much could read that on her face.

"That's Franky doing some weekly cleaning. The aquarium is the one that needs the most maintenance on this ship since it gets pretty ugly once the algae lay on the glass." Nami explained to the poor girl who was now staring bewildered at the robot.

Technology outside of Wano was shocking, to say the least.

By the time Suzume left the aquarium room, she had a huge headache. She just couldn't understand why she couldn't keep up with all of them. Everything they did seemed so natural, but when she tried to blend in, it became a disaster. It was clear to her by now that fitting in this bunch of misfits is something it wasn't going to happen.

Out of options, Suzume looked around the ship and searched for a retreat. She couldn't be around them anymore, she needed a break.

Spotting the highest place on the ship, she slowly made her way to the crow's nest. She wasn't sure if her communication skills were currently lacking or it was just the Straw Hats that made her feel like she was dumb.

Once inside, Suzume almost tripped over a barbell that was laying right next to the ladder. Whoever left this thing here surely wanted to break someone's neck. The room was quiet enough as it was and Suzume couldn't be happier at this point. No more idiotic situations and no dumb conversations! She was ecstatic, to say the least.

But all that happiness slowly drifted away once she looked around the room for the second time. Standing next to a wall, stood no other than Zoro, sleeping his life away. Just seeing his face made her heart drop and she knew right away that she needed to get out of there before he woke up. If there is one person on this ship that needed to be avoided that was Zoro. Not only he was stronger than her, but he also couldn't be easily fooled like the others. He clearly stated that he doesn't trust her and if she slips out something, not to his liking, she will be a goner.

But before she could climb down the ladder, Suzume cringed when she saw his eye open.

"Oh, it's you." He yawned.

She felt a little awkward to say the least. She was just about to climb down the ladder too so her position wasn't exactly what you might call natural. Neither one of them said a word too and that just doubled the awkwardness in the air. But even with all of that, Zoro didn't seem to notice anything unusual about this encounter.

As a matter of fact, Zoro didn't seem one bit interested that she was in the room with him.

_ 'Oh, so now he's gonna act as nothing happened?'  _ Suzume thought to herself. She felt a slight anger building inside her. It wasn't like he interrogated her like she was some kind of prisoner and he forced her to join the crew a less than twenty-four hours ago.

"I wasn't expecting anyone to be here." Suzume explained her presence. She knew that somehow, someway, Zoro was going to comment on what she said and she was prepared for any comebacks.

"This is where I spend most of the day, so you were pretty wrong on that one." Zoro said as he made himself comfortable on the floor, turning his back at Suzume. He was going back to sleep.

Suzume furrowed her brows. Was he really going to – let her go? Just like that? He seemed very uninterested in her presence and for him to turn his back at her meant he trusted her enough to know that she won't try to stab him behind his back.

To her, Zoro didn't seem to fit in with the crew. He was rather quiet when he was with them and if what he said is true, he really does spend most of his day here, in the crow's nest.

"You're actually anti-social, right?" Suzume asked.

"Where did you get that from?!"

** × **

The lunch with the Straw Hats wasn't that bad as she initially thought. Yeah, they were a lot wilder now that she was part of the crew and not a guest they tried not to scare, but overall she managed to eat half of the delicious lunch Sanji made. She already knew he was a good chef but somehow, every meal she eats from this man only gets better and better. His cooking was truly a work of art and Suzume appreciated every being that is talented in the culinary arts.

"Thank you for the meal, Sanji-san. It was truly delicious." Suzume said as she passed on her empty dish to him. The other half of her food was given to Luffy who now had a bloated belly from all the food he ate.

"Of course Suzume-chwan~! Only the best for my lovely ladies!" He sang. But suddenly his expression changed when he remembered that she didn't really finish everything on her plate. "Was something wrong with it, though? You didn't finish everything." He asked in a soft tone. At that, Suzume couldn't help but smile.

Even though he was perverted at times and tried to be the macho-gentleman, Sanji really cared about his entire role as a chef. He puts his heart and soul into every meal and you can definitely feel that.

"No, no, no!" Suzume began to shake her head. "It's just so much food, I couldn't possibly eat all of it." She smiled at him.

"I balance the calories in every meal if you're worried you'll gain weight or something." He said as he lights up his cigarette. "Oh, no, that's not it." Suzume began to panic. She probably gave off the wrong impression for not eating all of the food but it was simply too much for her. "I'm not starving myself, Sanji-san. I'm actually full right now. Most of the time I was at sea, and I couldn't cook, so I ended up eating small meals to make sure I have enough supplies until the next island. I got used to that and now, eating a big meal is a little overwhelming for my body. But I'll adjust soon."

"You should've told me that. As a cook is my duty to balance the meal for every individual on this ship. Next time tell me if you don't like something, or if it's too much. I'll make sure to make that meal perfect next time."

The initial impression of Sanji was long forgotten after hearing those words from him. Although they seemed like they were a bunch of idiots, if you looked deeper, you would find a group of impressive individuals who were all passionate about various things.

Getting to know the Straw Hats other than just from the newspaper was really a change of perspective. Maybe they weren't so bad after all...

But that did not change anything. She still needed to take down Joker one way or another and if she couldn't do it alone, the Straw Hats were going to fight for her. It was a selfish move but she had no other choice.

After lunch, Suzume decided it was time to visit the ship's library. Not because she felt a little bookworm but because she knew she needed to confirm something before she made the wrong impression out of it.

The room was quiet and no one was inside. Suzume was also not expecting anyone to be in there so she breathed easily. The table in the middle was the host of two books and a few handwritten papers. Sitting down at the table, the samurai pulled the books and papers closer to her and began to skim them.

The minute she laid her eyes on the first book, she knew right away that this was a very dangerous object. It was clear by now that the Straw Hats weren't kidding around. The forbidden language, the lost one, the ancient language that was banned to be learned, to be transcripted, to exist by the higher power.

_ The only problem she had with it was that she was also able to read it too. _


	10. Chapter 9

A week later, after welcoming a new member of their crew, the Straw Hats found themselves getting more and more impatient with the amount of time that it took to reach the next island.

While the Navigator continued to press the same idea that the island was going to make itself see-able soon, the rest of the crew members were starting to lose faith in that statement - or at least Luffy did. While the ship was filled with wonders and fun activities, Luffy began to get bored of everything that surrounded him, feeling the need for new surroundings and some exciting adventure.

Suzume on the other hand continuously tried her best not to fall into the trap that was the _Straw Hats_. Doomed to be on the same ship with these pirates, _inevitably_ , she began to get closer to them - or for the very least, know them a little bit better. But even with all of that, Suzume didn't feel safe around them. In fact, she felt very vulnerable at this moment.

 _'It's cold.'_ She thought as she hugged herself. The fresh morning air got colder and colder as the ship continued to sail towards the next island. It was only a sign that the island that the ship was heading towards to was nearby.

It was clear to her by now that Nami knew what she was doing and by the looks of it, they'll reach the new island today.

Besides the cold weather, the clouds were beginning to gather around the sky, blocking the sun from emitting any more of that welcoming heat. Unfortunately, Suzume was the only one who wasn't exactly prepared for winter. Actually, she wasn't prepared for anything at all. She was beginning to run low on her supplies.

It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for the clothes the two girls gave her but most of their outfits were too - _daring_. She wanted to feel more comfortable in her skin and the only way it could be possible to do that was by buying herself some new clothes.

Some may find themselves asking: why doesn't she just wear the old kimono she wore when she met the Straw Hats? Well, long story short, it sort of got ripped apart. She learned the hard way that day not to trust Luffy with anything that is laundry. Even if he claims he knows what he's doing...

She could still hear Luffy telling her how Nami could patch the kimono right up.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the only incident that happened in the last few days. Storms were something Suzume preferred to avoid if possible and most of the time, she would successfully do just that. Unfortunately when following a Log Pose, straying away from the path was a big no-no so the Straw Hats had to pull through the storm. Somehow, someway, she was distracted by the commotion and when the ship leaned abruptly in another direction, she directly hit the waters. Suzume knew how to swim but because it happened so fast, she had no idea what happened so she panicked.

In short, Zoro had to save her. _It was the worst day of her entire life._

"Oh God, it's cold." Suzume heard Nami mumble to herself as she exited the girl's dorm. The samurai was currently leaning on the ship's railing, looking at the ocean. It wasn't surprising to see the young woman in that spot. The Straw Hats quickly learned over the week about Suzume's need for 'alone time'. Very often, they would find her staring at something for an hour or so, either it would be the ocean or the night's sky.

Nami understood that getting used to this craziness was hard for Suzume, especially when you're surrounded by it constantly. Being the third one to join the crew, Nami knew very well what she was going through but she was confident that the samurai will get used to it soon. After all, she began to open up to them a lot more nowadays. Although she didn't drop the formalities just yet, she began to be a little more open when it came to expressing her opinion on certain aspects.

"Good morning." Suzume said as she saw the navigator come to her side.

"G-Good m-morning." Nami said back, all while her teeth were chattering. Looking up at the skies, Nami noticed the snow clouds that were gathering and almost let out a sigh. She hated the winter islands. But now on the New World, she was curious to see just how crazier the weather can get compared to the one in Grand Line.

"Any idea when we'll reach the island? Judging by the weather, I suppose today?" Suzume asked. Nami smiled at the girl and looked back at the skies.

"In a few hours, for sure." She replied.

Nami didn't stay outside for long after their little conversation. It was too cold for her own good and decided to take shelter before she freezes to death. Suzume, however, got used to this type of weather back in Wano. When you live in poverty for years, you don't have the luxury to live in a warm space, unless you find one for the night.

Thinking back to her time in Wano made her heartache. She didn't really have good memories from there, which was sad considering she lived all of her life in Wano. The cold weather is reminding her of her darkest times in Wano and made her feel a little melancholic.

She just really hated being cold...

×

Finally about noon, everyone was up doing their thing, more specifically, preparing for the new island. Suzume was able to dress more appropriately for the weather thanks to Robin and Nami, and now was currently in the kitchen with everybody else, eating lunch.

"Oi, Nami ~~ Just how long will it take to reach the island?" Luffy whined as he banged his hand on the table. Nami only rolled her eyes at him. "Be a little bit more patient, for God's sake. We'll reach the island soon." Nami replied as she munched on her sandwich.

Luffy, much to his despair, finished his lunch first and now had to watch everyone eat except him. This alone made him hungry again.

"Sanji, make me another sandwich." Luffy said. Sanji was currently wiping the water off his hand - he just finished washing the dishes. Puffing his cigarette, he leaned against the counter and looked at his Capitan.

"As much as I would prefer to do that instead of listening to you whine all day, we're completely out of food supplies." Sanji announced.

Luffy groaned and banged his head on the table. This was absolute torture for him. He was now regretting eating too fast instead of taking his time. Because he couldn't take it anymore, he stood up from the table and went outside.

The cold wind almost blew off his straw hat but he immediately caught it. Luffy put a big smile on his face when he saw that it was snowing.

"Oi, Usopp! It's snowing!" He announced. It wasn't long until Usopp came running outside.

Back in the kitchen, the rest of the crew were currently finishing their meal. Suzume, on the other hand, was drinking some tea while looking outside the kitchen window at the two dwarfs.

"Here." Nami said as she gave Sanji a small bag. "This is for the food supply. It should be enough to buy enough food until the next island." She continued. Sanji took a look inside the small bag. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

It was a clear sign something was wrong.

"We're short on money or something?" Zoro asked as he was sharpening his sword. At his words, everyone looked at the Navigator.

"Yeah." She sighed. "Throwing that banquet back in Westeria, right before sailing, wasn't a good idea. We can't leave the island until we get enough money for the next cruise."

Suzume felt kind of guilty about it. After all, they threw that little party for her.

"Sorry about that." She apologized.

"Don't sweat about it. It was Luffy's idea." Zoro told her, much to her surprise. "Yeah. Once he puts his mind onto something, he rarely let's go." Nami agreed. A blessing and curse some would say.

"OI! LAND HO!" They all heard Luffy yell.

"Speaking of the devil." Robin said as she stood up from the table. Everyone seemed very excited to finally reach land after such a long cruise. Suzume felt nervous. It would be the first time she steps foot on a land with the cursed title of a pirate.

As everyone left the room, the only two remaining people were her and Zoro. It was clear by now that he had something to say to her. Something that the others didn't need to hear.

"Just a warning. If you decide to pull just a small little stunt, I won't hesitate to cut you up like promised." He said as he looked directly into her green eyes. "Is that a threat?" She asked with a grin on her face. "Take it however you want. You have been warned." He said right before he went outside.

So he didn't trust her after all. It wasn't like she wasn't expecting it but, for some reason, it hurt a little.

 _'What did you expect? You lied so much that even you don't remember what you said.'_ She said to herself. But did it really matter now? It wasn't like she was going to be part of this crew forever. She was here just for the time being.

Following him, once outside, she took a good look at the beautiful scenery before her. The snowflakes were big and the snow was already setting.

It was weird seeing winter outside of Wano.

The cold season wasn't something you would get excited back in the samurai land. It was quite the opposite really. Nothing good came with cold - death was always waiting to take the weak. It was cruel how the numbers doubled during winter.

However, even from a big distance, Suzume could tell this was way different.

A winter, unlike something she has ever seen.

×

"Just hold it right there Luffy." Nami said as she quickly grabbed her Captain's shoulder before he could run away and never be seen again until it's time to leave.

Once the Straw Hats dropped the anchor, they were all equally excited to explore the new ground. After such a long time of being constantly on the sea, everyone wanted to feel land under their feet. Unfortunately, one poor, unfortunate soul had to stay behind to guard the ship, and because the island seemed so stunning, everyone wanted to go and take a look around.

Quick minded, Nami immediately found a solution for this issue. A draw. Whoever is so unlucky to get their name drawn from the hat, they'll have to stay behind until someone returns; and by the looks of it, everyone planned on exploring for a while.

"Seems only fair, right?" She asked as she shuffled the little pieces of paper in her hat.

Inside her head, Suzume was secretly praying nor the one who has to stay behind. After all, she never really got the chance to explore islands before and by the looks of it, this island seemed like it had a lot to offer. Her heart started to increase its pace as she saw Nami's handpick a piece of paper.

"Please not me, please not me..." Usopp was praying behind her.

"Well Brook, it seems like you'll have to sit this one out." Nami said. Usopp and Chopper hugged themselves in joy - even Suzume sighed in relief.

"And I was dying to see what this island offered... But wait, I'm already dead! Yohohoho!" He laughed it off. Suzume felt kind of sympathetic to the skeleton right now. But that was his fate for today. He will definitely have enough time to explore later on when someone else comes back.

"As for you, Luffy..." Nami began just as he was trying to sneak away. "Someone is going to have to go with you." Nami said and everyone nodded. Suzume couldn't understand this situation. Why did he need to be escorted?

"I'll go with him." Zoro offered as he walked towards Luffy. Everyone disagreed with his idea. "What? You wanted someone to go with him. Take it or let him go on his own." Zoro said annoyed.

"No offense Zoro, but every time you go with Luffy, you kind of end up losing him." Usopp said and everyone agreed.

"So you wanna go?"

"No, it's ok! You can go!"

Suzume's attention drifted away from the Straw Hat's little argument over who should go with their captain. It wasn't that she did not care but she would be lying if she said she was interested in the subject.

To say that she was excited was an understatement. Looking back a few weeks ago, sightseeing would've only wasted her precious time. But now, that was the only thing she could do without raising any suspicion.

"Oh for God's sake. Alright, Luffy and Zoro, you are in charge of finding some treasure. You name it: jewelry, diamonds, gold, cash. I don't care!" Nami exploded. Luffy didn't seem to be intimidated about Nami's anger. As a matter of fact, a huge grin on his face reappeared.

The captain was happier than ever. He placed his arm around Zoro's neck and prepared to jump off the ship. Zoro was quick on his part and detached himself from the knucklehead before the captain would've slammed him onto the ground. Suzume watched with a smile on her face the demise of the swordsman.

"And there they go..." Nami sighed. "And don't you dare come back to the ship until you have enough money to feed all of us, you got that?" She yelled at them. In response, they waved back at the crew and then continued on their way.

"Let's hope this island isn't inhabited by a Yonkou." Robin said as she bottomed up her coat, making everyone sigh at her. How pessimistic...

"Why would you said something so scary!" Usopp and Chopper yelled out.

×

The island was breathtaking and not because of its cold temperature. Something about its frozen vegetation and the white theme it seems to warm Suzume's heart. Winter here seemed nothing like in Wano, where once the first snowfalls, people pray that they will manage to live through it so that they could reach the next year and others pray they will be victims of the harsh cold rather than the hunger.

But here, everyone seemed to be happy, well-fed. There was no poverty like in her hometown.

Winter always brought sadness in her veins along with the cold and that's something that will never change.

Walking around the market, Suzume was a little overwhelmed to see so many types of clothing and none of her style. But then again, Wano is closed off from the rest of the world, so even getting inside is impressing. She had to admit that although the clothes Robin and Nami gave her were a little too revealing for her taste, they were sort of comfortable when no one was around to look at her.

"A real treasure I tell you! Unlike ever to be seen!" A man proudly shoved a piece of paper in front of whoever passed him. The man presented the paper as a treasure map. The paper looked like a child attempted to make it look old and the directions drawn onto were... well let's not even talk about them. Only a fool would actually believe that it is an actual treasure map.

 _Do people still get scammed by those things?_ Suzume thought as she walked passed the man without giving him a glance.

There was quite a lot of merchant out there, despite the crazy cold weather. Looking for clothes wasn't exactly her forte and so Suzume had a hard time choosing something that wasn't revealing but also that looked at least acceptable on her. Looking at clothes left and right was beginning to give Suzume a headache.

As she walked to yet another merchant that sold clothes, Suzume stopped right in her tracks as she spotted something very familiar. An old man, probably around 70 years old, was selling by the looks of it, antiques. But it wasn't the old man that caught her attention but the only the book had on the stand.

It wasn't just any book, no, Suzume was quite familiar with it.

Slowing walking towards the stand, without looking any other way other than that book, she was beginning to sweat a little as she got closer. Giving the man a look of acknowledgment, she picked the book carefully and studied it. The title was big and clear: **The Tale of the Mist**

It has been years since she saw this book, her favorite childhood book, the book her mother used to read to her before bed.

_The very first present she ever got._

×

"Mama~!" A very young Suzume yelled as she hugged her blanket closer to her chest. She seemed to be a little frightened and was on the verge of crying.

A young woman came running into the room but sighed in relief as she saw that there was no actual danger. She walked towards her daughter and hugged her. The young girl's grip on her mother was quite strong as she cried onto her shoulder.

"What's wrong, darling?" She asked as she kept her daughter close. The young girl sniffed and slowly calmed down. Suzume proceeds to tell her mother about the bad dream that she had. Although it seems like she was speaking some gibberish, her mother caught onto some words here and there and continued to comfort her daughter.

"A gorilla came into the house and stole your stuffed bunny?" Her mother repeated her daughters' words, trying not to laugh at her daughter's imagination. Although Suzume was a bright child as a whole, at night she seems to suffer from nightmares. Her mother had no idea what was causing this, but this was not the first incident this happened.

Deep down, she knew that her daughter was suffering due to her father's absence. Ever since he left the two of them to protect their identities and their safety, this took a toll on her daughter. Without her dad Suzume felt as if she was abandoned by him, thus the reason why she always dreams about things being stolen or running away from her.

Once Suzume calmed down, the woman just remembered something, something she has been hiding away for a while.

"Did you know daddy send you a present?" Her mother smiled as she stood up to go fetch the so-called present. Suzume gasped and waited happily for her mother's return. Once back, in her mother's hand was nothing other than a book with a beautiful cover.

 **The Tale of the Mist** the title read. It was a children's book and by the looks of it, it was quite expensive.

Her mother handed her daughter the book with a smile. Once in her hands, Suzume gave her mother the biggest grin ever.

"This is from father?" Suzume as she held the book close to her.

"Yes. And he said that if you ever feel afraid, this book has the ability to shoo that fear away. Wanna read it?" Her mother said as she pulled her daughter close to her.

_"There was once a man named Mist..."_

X

Crying, a 14-year-old Suzume was heavily breathing as she tried her best to warm up. It was the middle of winter and by now, almost half of the village died due to the unforgiving weather. Suzume had no place to stay. Alone in the woods, with only a small fire to keep her warm, her fate was either in the hands of a hungry wild animal or the weather. She missed the warmth of her home that was now long gone.

She tried her best to stay awake and not be consumed by the eternal darkness that awaited her if she fell asleep. Searching through her bag for another piece of clothing, Suzume stumbled upon a book she had forgotten about ever since she left.

Sniffing, Suzume took out the book from the bag. It looked nothing like it used to, but this was her only memory of her mother along with the necklace at her neck.

Opening it, Suzume's tears were slowly dropping on the paper. She hurried to wipe them off.

In a small voice that was almost gone, Suzume began to read the book just like her mother did when she was young.

_"There was once a man named Mist and he had everything that anyone could ever want..."_

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find this story on my account Wattpad under the username the_pink_disaster .


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